Hachiman's Christmas Carol
by toshinoukyouko'sdeliciousoppai
Summary: How does the most successful man in Japan celebrate his Christmas?


It was a week before Christmas. The streets in Tokyo were bustling with life as everybody was busy preparing for the festive season. Whilst newly-wed couples flooded shopping malls attempting last minute shoppings, children were out in the open playing with snow and building snowmen. The colourful Christmas lights decorating the streets further enhanced the joyous atmosphere, putting everyone on the street in a good mood. Amidst the cheerfulness and anticipation, however, lays a sulking individual whom, despite all the festivities, remained sullen and downtrodden.

That individual was me.

My name is Hikigaya Hachiman. I am nothing short of a successful individual whom, after graduating from university, began my pursuit for a life of entrepreneurship and have been shooting to the moon since. At the tender age of 24, I amassed enough wealth to buy a lavish penthouse in the most affluent district in Tokyo. Four years later, the title of "Youngest billionaire in Japan" was bestowed in me. Fuelled by ambition and success, never had I slacked off for a single day. By age 35, I owned various monopolies which further elevated my wealth.

In the brief 35 years of my life I have yet to see a point to a marriage. People who marry always end up caged like a bird, burdened by the harsh reality of quarrels, feuds and kids. Marriage is but an unnecessary obstacle to my success. Why do I need it then?

The one thing I disdained more than marriage is festivities. Why do we need festivities, when after all it is just an elaborate and socially-acceptable way for slackers to goof off? I don't need any festivities in my life.

I believe most successful people in the world have no love for festivities either. Festivities are but for the lazy and unambitious.

The festivity that I hated the most was no doubt Christmas. Never had mankind invented such a bloody and cursed holiday! Couples walking on the snowy pavements, huddling together like filthy bunch of swines, how could one even stomach this putrid scene?

All over Tokyo, people are celebrating the night before the sacred day with family, rejoicing in the joyous, homely atmosphere of their warm abode. Me? I'm working my ass off while others are jerking their ass off! Tell me more about what you did the whole year to deserve even a single day worth of celebration? Christmas is useless. It only panders to the fools.

In the name of blessings, Christmas is nothing but a curse to me.

Worse still, my worthless, frivolous employees were not helping at all.

"For the last time, Sakamoto, I am not going to attend the Christmas celebration!" I hollered at my secretary. The latter had invited me to the company's Christmas celebration, in hopes of raising the spirit of his visibly gloomy employer.

"But Mr Hikigaya, you have not being attending our Christmas celebrations for years, please make an exception this time round! Come on, it's holiday seasons, at least spend some time with us! I understand you have a lot of work to do, but how is losing one day worth of work going to affect us in any way—"

"Losing one day worth of work means nothing to you? Sakamoto, I hate to be blunt, but this is the reason why I sitting down and you're standing up right now. Now get out of here and stop asking me to come for your worthless celebration again!"

Sakamoto's lips quivered and he became teary-eyed. As he escorted himself out of my office, I could feel remorse accumulating inside me. Sakamoto was a mighty fine fellow, and he has worked for me ever since the establishment of this company. Nevertheless, he need to grasp the concept of no meaning no. I have turned away such invitations for years, and I'm not going to make an exception this year.

Still, I was slightly pained at the fact that I would be spending Christmas alone yet again. I wished to make an exception this time, but who could I spend my Christmas with?

While I was in deep thoughts, my phone suddenly rang. Komachi has sent a text message to me.

Komachi is my younger sister. She is also the last pillar of support in my life. As I opened the message dialog, my mood brightened. Komachi might be planning to visit me. For the first time in a decade, there is a hopeful prospect that I would not be spending Christmas alone.

Oh who was I trying to fool! Instead of what I wished for, Komachi sent a picture of herself with someone whom I assume is her fiancé. A Christmas tree acted as a backdrop, with a caption explaining that she would be spending her Christmas with her fiancé (so that's her fiancé all right. I shall be hooking his gabber some day for hogging my sister on Christmas).

To add insult to injury, she wished me a merry Christmas and asked me to send photos of my own Christmas, something which I was unable to comply. This drained away whatever little motivation I had for work, and thus I packed my stuff and returned home early.

I refused to turn up for work for the next few days. I spent my time at home watching anime and playing games, hobbies which I intended to keep a secret for the rest of my life. But these activities only granted me short-term gratification, for I returned to my melancholic self the minute I switched off the computer. I did it routinely for the next few days. Before I knew it, it was the day before Christmas Eve.

That night, my mood had only gotten worse. I began to harbor hatred toward everyone out there having a better Christmas than me. Why do they deserve to be happy while I spend my Christmas alone? Looking at the couples walking on the streets with hearts full of content, I could feel my blood boiling in my veins. Oh how I wished that the law be turning a blind eye on me, so that I can knock all these fools off their feet and onto the cold, hard ground! Despite the bright Christmas lights illuminating the streets, my mood remained dampened. I silently cursed at the couples on the streets, wishing nothing but sufferings for them.

If idle hands are the devil's workshop, then idle mind is the devil himself. As for me, with none of them doing much work, the devil side of me began to surface. No way am I allowing them to feel joy when I myself couldn't feel it. I had to formulate a plan to ruin the happiness of everyone coming Christmas Eve. With the help of the devil inside me, I devised an evil scheme within a few minutes. It was a plan so wicked and so devoid of humanity that it would put Lucifer himself to shame.

Grabbing my belongings, I made my way out of the house. After what seemed like an eternity, I reached my destination.

It was the most powerful place in Japan, for within it lays a complex system capable of controlling the entire power grid of Honshu.

It was entirely in my possession, and possibly my greatest asset yet.

When the Japanese government entrusted in me the full control of the power grid, I thought that they had gone nuts. Coming to think of that, I was pretty well-known for my adoption of clean energy policies in my companies and my investments in clean energy, and for that I reckoned I gained the trust and respect of the government officials.

They were indeed fools.

If things go as planned, on Christmas Eve the next day, once the clock chimes twelve, the entire power system in Honshu would be automatically shut down. Not only would it bring complete chaos to every household in Tokyo, but cutting off the power as Christmas Eve approaches its peak would no doubt ruin the happiness of many a souls. To stay up all night for the countdown, just to be left in darkness at the last minute, what distress would it bring to everyone! Expectant children would be put to bed against their own wishes, adults would be busy tending to the kids and the leftovers would be out in the open air and likely go bad the next day. Highest form of cruelty, I know. But ff I'm not going to have a great Christmas, then nobody will!

Fortunately for me, there were nobody on security, so I could pass through the automated security clearance without any form of interrogation.

After that, I took the elevator to the basement level where the control room was located at. It was a pain in the ass to gain access to that room! I recalled passing through at least 4 security doors before reaching the final one, where with a zap of my card, the highly-reinforced door opened.

It was a room straight out of a sci-fi movie. Arrays of high-end computers were lined up on one side of room while the other side boasts a collection of switches, buttons, dials and levers. At the centre of the room lays a giant table displaying the entirety of the grid system. The table shows the map of the Honshu island, with dotted lines demarcating the different prefectures of Honshu. With a single tap, I could cut off the power source of an entire prefecture.

With no time to lose, I immediately set off to work. By the time my job was done, it was already 3 in the morning. If his program works successfully, the entire power grid will be shut down at 12 midnight sharp on Christmas eve, and would remain so for 24 hours. That would be sufficient enough to ruin a Christmas and not too much in excess lest it causes nationwide panic.

I returned home more jubilant than ever, and woke up early and in good spirit the next day. I spent most of his morning doing work on my computer, but unknowing to me, I had befallen to an unidentified ailment. By noon, I was feeling extremely unwell and had to rest in bed.

In the midst of his slumber, I was disturbed by a strange sound coming from nowhere in particular. I woke up in a start and a cherubic figure greeted his sight.

The figure, reminiscent of an 8 year-old boy, was wearing nothing but a pair of pants and a cross around his neck. I jumped back in surprise at the sight of this strange creature.

"Who— who are you? And what do you want from me?" I stammered.

"I am the ghost of Christmas past. Today, I shall bring you back in time to witness and reminisce on the past," the mysterious figure replied.

Before I could protest, the figure created a portal which sucked me in. The place was pitch black and frightened the hell out of me. For one brief moment, I thought that I have died and gone straight to hell due to my evil plan. Moments later, however, the portal opened and I emerged from it.

I was suspended in midair! The place was familiar with human architecture and I could very briefly make out the microscopic words on the billboards. Having identified them as Kanji, I heaved a sigh of relief. Whatever is happening now, at least I did not end up in a different dimension. Nevertheless, floating in midair was a surreal feeling which scared the hell out of me.

"So... do you remember this place?" I snapped back to reality. The ghost of Christmas past was beside me. Puzzled at his question, I swiftly surveyed the surrounding. Indeed there's something familiar about this place. Something that I could not quite put my mind into.

The ghost of Christmas past might have noticed my confusion, for the next moment I was propelled by an unknown force forward. Buildings and roads were flashing past me at the speed of light. A feeling of nausea started building up in my body. When at last we reached our destination, a realisation dawned on me. The building that the ghost of Christmas past brought me to was my high school. I am back in Chiba!

"Wow, this building did not change at all!" I remarked. The campus appeared to be unchanged ever since my graduation. Despite my unremarkable high school years, a feeling of nostalgia still evoked in me as I laid eyes upon the familiar places. The tennis court where I would often play alone by the wall, having no partner whatsoever to play with. The usual place that I would go to during lunchtime to avoid the crowd in cafeteria, for it was truly demoralising to be the only one eating alone. Everything was still intact. It seems like I have traveled to the past.

Perhaps the ghost of Christmas past read my mind, for at that moment he confirmed my speculation.

"Yes, we are indeed in the past."

"I have brought you to the past, to reminisce and to reflect. More specifically, I have brought you to the day of your deepest sorrow. This is likely the worst moment in your high school life, surpassing all the embarrassments and ridicules you have suffered before. I have no idea how much memories you retain, but the scene that is going to unfold is not going to be pretty. If at any point in time, you feel like this is too much for you to bear, you can always request and I shall bring you back to the present."

We touched down on the tennis court. I followed him into the building and before long, we arrived at my classroom.

The classroom was filled with students. In the middle of the classroom, my past self was having a heated argument with a black haired girl. Her name is Yukino. I cringed hard at this scene as I suddenly recalled everything that unfolded that day.

Yukino was the few students in school whom I interacted with. Along with another girl named Yui, the three of us formed the Service Club. Yukino was stoic and suave, and like me she was alienated and disdained for who she inherently was. She was cold to me at first, but as time passes by, we grew closer and towards the end of the high school year, I started developing feelings for her.

Which is why I asked her out to prom the week before Christmas. I remembered having painstakingly brainstormed on the proposal, rehearsed my lines, came to school one hour early the next day to rehearse again, texted Yukino to come to my classroom, and when she finally did come, she turned me down.

I was furious and went on to ask her the reason for doing so, but she offered no explanation. Very soon, we started a heated argument with each other.

I watched with a feeling of awkwardness as my past self raved erratically, my impulse gotten the better of me. The ghost of Christmas past stood beside me. He shook his head and remarked, "you sure was a hot-headed guy."

I could not bear to watch it any longer. The ghost sensed my unease. "Alright, but before we call it a day, I just want to show you one last thing."

He must have fast-forwarded time by a few hours, for the classroom suddenly became empty, safe for two people— Yukino and Hayama. Yukino was burying her face on the table while Hayama was beside her trying his best at consoling the wretched girl. I was appalled at this scene. Were the words I lashed out at her really that strong?

The ghost proceeded on to give me the context behind this scene. According to him, Yukino had a history of self-harming whenever she needed to cope with her suppressed feelings. Over time, she was able to handle her emotions better and stopped this habit altogether. However, so hurtful were my words during our dispute that her habit of self-harming relapsed. She was not in a sound state of mind, and would have likely done grievous bodily damage to herself had Hayama not entered at that moment.

I never knew how much I hurt her on that day. This new-found knowledge was nothing of value to me, for it gained me nothing but a deeper sense of remorse. I had the greatest urge to hunt my past self down and beat the shit out of him.

"Alas, bygones are but bygones, and I won't be able to help you reverse what you have done," the ghost suddenly spoke up, interrupting my train of thoughts. "I am afraid to say we have dwelled too long in the past, and the present's awaiting our return. It is my responsibility to ensure you leave this place unscathed, so I shall send you back soon."

"You only told me you are the ghost of Christmas past, but who exactly are you?"

"I shall not reveal my identity, but I shall make one disclosure— I am not the last ghost of Christmas you will meet. For after me there remains two more ghosts of Christmas awaiting you. Come, my boy, it is frowned upon to stay in the past for too long. Back to the present world with yo."

A portal opened up behind me and sucked me in.

I jolted out of my bed. Seems like it was only a dream after all. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was already four in the afternoon.

Just as I was about to fall back to sleep, I spotted something on my desk from the corner of my eyes. There was a note with words scribbled on it. I went to take a look.

"The present cometh."

The note brought a cold, tingling sensation to my body. It was not a dream as I expected. This is happening in reality.

A ghostly figure suddenly appeared in front of me. Him I shall assume to be the ghost of Christmas present.

"I am the ghost of Christmas present. I do not reminisce the past, nor do I speculate the future. I am the one who lives for the moment, hence in this moment we shall dwell."

The ghost of Christmas present resembles a teenager. He gave off an edgy vibe and had a deadpan expression permanently etched on his face. In many aspects he was similar to my high school self.

"Come, let me take you to places around the city, to witness the various activities taking place right now."

My window opened by itself and I floated out of it into the sky. The ghost was already ahead of me. I tried to catch up with him, and to my pleasant surprise, I was able to move in midair with more agility than I expected. At one point he headed towards an elegant skyscraper. Peering into one of the windows, he beckoned me to come towards him.

I looked into the window. The house was tidy and well taken care of. A woman was sitting on the couch , reading a novel. That's Yukino! After all these years, she was still so beautiful, and as I watched her elegantly sipping her glass of eggnog, my heart skipped a beat.

At that instant, the door opened. Hayama entered the house with 4 kids following him. The kids immediately ran towards Yukino and gave her hugs and kisses. By now, it is obvious that Hayama and Yukino are already engaged, and probably had a lot of sex too. I was bitter with jealousy at this scene, but who can I blame for this except myself?

"This could well be you right now, had you not committed the folly on that particular day," the ghost remarked.

I silently cursed myself. What was I thinking?

"Right now I am going to bring you to a place of lesser affluence, for not all mortals has such privilege and fortune in life bestowed upon them. Come with me, and we shall witness the daily lives of vagabonds."

I was fine with this, for I had already gotten sick of the Yukino scene. When we reached our next destination, the surroundings was quite unlike the wealthy district we were in just minutes ago. The buildings were dilapidated beyond extent and streets were piled with all sorts of rubbish. There were not a single car in sight, and from the corner of my eyes, I could see what seems like a crack addict hobbling out of a ghetto. The entire place gave off a Compton vibe.

The ghost turned into an alley and I followed suit. It was the worst nightmare for a claustrophobic, for I could almost touch both ends of the alley by extending my arms. As we squeezed through the narrow alleyway, I noticed the graffiti spray-painted onto the walls. Cops would rather lose their jobs than walk through this alley, so this place was left untouched by the authority ever since the beginning of time. Which is why it was vandalised to such a heavy extent, so much so that many parts of the wall appear to be on the verge of collapse.

Dilapidated government projects meant for the lowest common denominator were flanked on both sides, giving the place an incredibly sinister feel. It seems like people die on a daily basis in this place. As we walked around the alley, the ghost counted the apartment numbers. "41... 42... 43..." he mumbled on and when at last he reached 44, he went into the lobby. I came along as well.

I followed him to the staircase. There was a spot under the staircase, and it was occupied by a homeless woman. I was puzzled and asked the ghost the reasons for bringing me here.

He told me that the homeless person was some acquaintance of mine many years ago.

Bewildered still, I observed every feature of the thin, fragile creature. Her shabby clothes were threadbare to the point of it literally having the thickness of a thread. I could spot a makeshift bed at the side, but the blanket was way too inadequate for the cold weather. She was obviously unprepared for winter.

She was facing in my direction, but for obvious reason my presence was not detected. It seems like she was tinkering with some device. I strained my eyes for a closer look. It was an electric heater. Perhaps she was still prepared for winter to some extent.

Despite her bedraggled clothing, she appeared to be youthful and attractive. That piece of information would not help the least bit, for there are millions of attractive people in the world. Who exactly is she?

"Maybe the name 'Yui' would strike a cord."

Yui! I could not believe his words. I never expected Yui to end up like this. What awful circumstances must have unfolded that led her to this state! As I saw her struggling with the piece of device, I could feel my heart aching for her.

After what seems like an eternity, she assembled the electric heater. There was a power socket conveniently located at the corner of her living space, so she plugged the electric heater in. She sighed in contentment as the warmth took over her body, coaxing her to sleep.

"What sympathetic creature she is! Deserves to be much better off, yet life has not treated her so!" The ghost exclaimed, his voice filled with pity and emotion.

"And you!" The ghost suddenly pointed an accusatory finger at me. "You were planning on cutting out the electricity in less than 24 hours, ain't you? Now look at your past acquaintance, who had been so benevolent to you before, sleeping next to the electric heater. Alas, this heater is probably the only source of warmth she'll get this coming Christmas! And you will taking that away from her once the power cuts off. Let that sink in for a minute."

We did not talk much on our way home. For I was muddled in my thoughts, and he was still holding a grudge against me. When we finally reached home, it was 6 in the evening.

"I apologise for the cold shoulder I've shown you on our way back. My indignation has subsided, and now I shall bid farewell to you. But your adventure is yet to come to a closure, for your last visitor, the ghost of Christmas future, has yet to arrive. I shall not disclose his identity beyond his name, for he is a power ye shall not contend with. He will be your greatest challenge yet, and whatever the future holds would not be of a pretty nature. The unpredictability of future is his most sinister trait, and you might very well end up scarred for the rest of you life."

A distant thunder rolled, interrupting the ghost's lengthy speech.

"I am afraid I have revealed too much, and have likely incurred his wrath. Now is the time for me to go. Farewell and godspeed to you."

The creature hastily vanished into thin air.

I was worn out by the adventure, so I went back to sleep in the meantime.

A disturbance in my room woke me up. I sensed the presence of someone near me, and reckoned that the ghost of Christmas future had arrived. I sat on my bed waiting for him to appear in my sight.

But he never did appear, instead, a thunderous voice suddenly boomed from all direction, nearly splitting my eardrums.

"What were you expecting!"

Startled by the voice, I looked around the room, trying to find the source of the voice but to no avail. The voice suddenly progressed into a chuckle, albeit not a friendly one.

"Foolish mortal! The ghost of Christmas future takes neither form nor shape, for I have yet to come into existence in the present. I am merely an apparition right now, but rest assured that ye shall see me once I take you to the future."

At that moment, the ground opened up below me and down I fell into the darkness. After what seems like an indefinite period of time, I finally reached the other side.

I was transported to the poverty-stricken place that the ghost of Christmas present had brought me to just hours ago. Nothing much had changed, and for a moment I thought that the ghost of Christmas future had made a mistake.

The ghost of Christmas future was right beside me, and I saw his physical form. He took the form of a disheveled old man, wearing the robe of a priest. I was appalled by this, for his voice made him seem much more powerful than what he really appeared to be.

Just then, a team of social service workers walked past us. They were melancholic and forlorn.

"Go after them," the ghost commanded me. I obeyed his order and as I walked down the alley, I began to count the apartment numbers. "41... 42... 43..." The social service workers stopped at 44 and went in.

I followed them in, and what laid in plain sight in front of me had me frozen right on my spot.

Yui is dead.

She had died for quite a period of time and rigor mortis had settled in. The electric heater was still beside her, but remained switched off despite having no switch and still connected to the socket.

"No! This can't be happening! I cannot believe it!" I screamed in denial as the social service workers prepared for the removal of the body. The ghost was behind me right now. He gave me a sympathetic tap on the back.

"Oh you are indeed a foolish person! Wherefore do you think this won't be happening? Ain't you the one who so cruelly cut off the power of every household on Christmas Eve? Now look at the aftermath. It was impossible for her to live through the night under such temperature."

"But hark, your grief do not end here, for this is but the beginning of an era of darkness. I shall bring you further into the future, in order for you to witness what you have wrought upon."

I was sent further into the future, except that this time the entire landscape has changed. It was a bleak, disastrous landscape, with layers of debris and rubble piling up high and stretching for several miles. The place seems to be struck by a huge calamity, perhaps a tsunami, for as far as my eyes could see there were not a single building intact. No sign of life could be detected by my senses, hence I presumed that all the inhabitants of this ill-fated city were dead by now.

It was only upon further observations that I begin to discover the few buildings that were barely damaged in the disaster. I scrutinised the buildings thoroughly for traits that could possibly reveal the identity of the city. Imagine my shock when I found out that this is Tokyo! My suspicion was further confirmed, for in the distance I could see the badly damaged skeleton of Tokyo tower, which by some miracle continued to stay erect albeit leaning at an angle— much like the leaning tower of Pisa— with its silhouette casting eerily on the neighboring debris.

It was a depressing scene no doubt. Nonetheless such things are inevitable. Take Rome for example— once the greatest civilisation in mankind, whose power was so profound that its influence could be found in every major culture on Earth. When in Rome, do what the Romans do. Such was the prestige of the Holy Roman Empire. But where is Rome now? Once thought to be perennially invincible, but in the present age the last vestige of Rome lay in whatever little Roman artefacts salvaged over the centuries. Hence, it was not surprising to see Tokyo, which I presume is several hundred years into the future, in its current state. No matter how much mankind flourished as a whole, we remain at the mercy of nature, and nature just so happened to target the most successful of mankind's settlements. But I would have long being dead by then, so why should I give a hoot?

"Ah, I like your way of thinking, but let me remind you that this is not 200 years in the future as you presumed. It's not even a decade into the future. The reality laid bare in front of you— the total destruction of your city— happened to be merely five years later."

"And the culprit behind all this? That's you."

For a moment I thought the ghost was playing a trick on me. Old people were known for bantering, and I guess the ghosts of Christmas hold no exception to this rule.

"Look around you, tell me the nature of the phenomenon that caused this disaster. Is it natural or man-made?"

Unless mankind has advanced enough to concoct artificial waves, only nature could hold and unleash such tremendous power. I answered his question.

"Well tsunami seems pretty natural, right?"

To my puzzlement he burst out laughing.

"Oh you foolish child! How could you see this as a tsunami!" He looked at me with amusement.

"What happened was far from being a tsunami."

"I... I still don't get it?" I was bemused by his words.

"Well, perhaps the names 'Hiroshima' and 'Nagasaki' would ring a bell in you."

The ghost then recounted to me everything that has unfolded over the past 5 years.

It appeared that for reasons unknown, China went to war with Japan. Japan lost the war right at the start, for we were no match to the China's enormous military capacity. Furthermore, the Chinese were completely merciless in their battle, bombarding civilian cities back and forth and without any signs of stoppage. The Americans were embroiled in their own internal conflict and hence could not intervene in this mayhem. For the first time in more than half a century, Japan was under the peril of annihilation.

By the time nuclear bombs were involved, it was already too late. On one fateful day, China unleashed their weapons of mass destruction simultaneously on 23 cities in Japan, bringing the war to an immediate halt. The Japanese government surrendered on the same way, and Japan was officially annexed by the Chinese.

Why did this have anything to do with me? Well, it is all due to Butterfly Effect— where a single occurrence, no matter how small, could have a profound impact on the outcome of the universe.

My terminating of the power supply may seem small, but what it led to was a nationwide protest from disgruntled citizens, and these protests gradually escalated into a riot. Cars were overturned, trashcans were set on fire and properties were heavily vandalised. Japan was descending into a state of anarchy.

China, seeing the social structure in Japan at its weakest, took the opportunity, and thereby declared war on Japan.

Burdened by both conflicts internal and external, Japan was destined to lose the war at the start. Although the power supply was restored by then, the damage was done. Citizens no longer trust the government. There was no one left willing to fight for the country.

And the war ended with the deadliest nuclear attack in recorded history. Every cities in Japan were in ruins, with all its inhabitants perished.

I threw up after hearing the story, not able to believe anything he said. Showing empathy for the first time ever since we met, the ghost allowed me some time to calm down and register what he said in my mind. It was no use, for after 5 minutes of silence from his part, my mind was still spinning frantically. Oh what woe had I bestowed upon my people! I may appear to be misanthropic at times, but I never meant harm to anyone. So witnessing the widespread destruction that I was responsible for filled me with guilt and shame.

"I shall recount things that happened to your future self," the ghost suddenly spoke. I jumped.

"For you, you are the lucky ones who perished on the day of the nuclear attack, for those whose escaped the grip of death faced much greater sufferings than the dead. I shall bring you to meet someone, whom by sheer luck was out of the this country on that fateful day, hence surviving through the war."

In an instant, I was teleported to another place. It was a dungeon, much alike to the medieval ones that used to house the most dangerous of criminals. Looking through the steel bars, I spot a woman in one of the cells. She was badly bruised in almost every parts of her body. I took much pity for her predicament.

Then shock dawned on me, for she was none other than Komachi!

At that moment, a trio of soldiers approached the cell and started unlocking the door. From their uniform, I could tell that they were Chinese. I watched in horror as they inched towards my helpless Sister. I shall not recount whatever that ensued, but I can assure you that it was the most infuriating scene I had ever witnessed in my life.

I was almost feeling nauseous from the horrific events that unfolded in the future. Not being able to stand this any longer, I begged for him to send me back to the present. This is simply too much for me to bear.

And he suddenly spoke in the most philosophical voice ever heard. I was disquieted, for old people are often the most dangerous when they get philosophical.

"Ah, present, the concept that had fooled mankind for eons! Alas, present is nothing more than perspectives. Have you ever wondered, what exactly is the present?"

"The present that we know of is all but a fallacy, for it never did exist in the first place. No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."

"And this could not be more true! I am very much afraid to tell you that your definition of present— the one that you held on to dearly the whole time— has ceased to exist."

"What... what does that mean?" Right now I am genuinely afraid. "Does that mean that I can't return back to the present?"

"No, that's not what I mean. Rather, there is no present left for you to return back to."

"This is the present."

"What—"

The ghost of Christmas future has vanished into thin air.

This could not be happening. Am I doomed to live in this apocalypse?

"Hey, you!" One of the officers shouted angrily, pointing his finger in my direction.

I threw my hands up and surrendered to my would-be captors. I could have tempted fate and run off. But at this point, resistance would be akin to suicide.

I was handcuffed, blindfolded, and led forward.

In the next moment, I was plunging towards a certain depth.

I could feel the wind gushing from below. This is it. My time is up. And in moments to come, I would eventually hit the bottom, shattering every bones in my body.

When I reopened my eyes, the blindfold was gone. I was lying on the ground. Did I really survive that fall? How is it even remotely possible?

I was greeted by the sight of the familiar ornaments and paperworks on my desk.

Sunlight was shining through my window, casting shadows on the curtains.

It was all a dream.

A wave of relief flooded me as I collapsed on the ground, both physically and mentally exhausted.

I looked at the clock.

11:00 PM.

24th of December.

And I realised something.

What I had experience was not in fact a dream, but some sort of prophecy— the future is really at stake.

I had to deactivate my code as soon as possible, lest it be too late.

Getting myself off the ground, I grabbed my phone and called the manager working in the powerhouse.

Thankfully, the manager was working on night shift that day. Else no way in hell would I be able to reach there on time to deactivate the code.

I delivered the steps to deactivation immediately. For this high risk procedure, some parts of the grid had to be put on temporary lockdown. This means that some parts of Tokyo would experience a blackout. Having not expected my residence to fall within the affect range, I jolted back in surprise when my light suddenly extinguished. Fuck!

Fortunately, my phone was still working, so I continued to deliver my steps in darkness.

And then then manager set off to work. The fate of Japan is now entirely in his hands.

As I sat in the darkness waiting, I realised the severity of this situation to the full extent— if the lights are not back on by 00:00, then all hopes will be lost.

This time right now is 11:25PM, he has exactly 35 minutes to fix my shit.

11:35PM.

11:40PM.

What's taking him so long?

As time trickled past, so did my patience. I eyed the clock on my desk. Every movement of the second hand added to my angst. At this rate, I would soon be losing my wits.

11:54PM.

My phone rang.

I picked it up, expecting the worst.

"Mr Hikigaya, I am very pleased to say that the problem is solved."

And then the lights were back on.

I could feel tears of joy falling down my face as I registered the great news in the back of my mind. It was such a close shave, but somehow we made it on time. Japan is saved.

I looked out of my window. Christmas decorations never felt so beautiful before. Reindeers, Christmas trees and Santa Claus no longer irked me. There was something inexplicable blossoming inside my heart. Perhaps it was the lovely scene of snow falling, Christmas choirs singing and families reuniting— a heartwarming scene that so contrasted with the hell I went through earlier— that set off a feeling of utmost joy in me.

In the distance, I could hear a clock chiming twelve times.

Christmas Eve was officially over.

And so was my deep-seated hatred over this holiday season.


End file.
